Reproduction process



May 31, 1938. A. CARMAN ET AL 2,119,041

, REPRODUCTIQN PROCESS Filed Nov.- 7, 195a I 3 ml J0 Q 75 EH15 f6 U mffimlbt 1 INVENTORS Patented May 31, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT orrics Application November 7, 1936, Serial No. 109,632

3 Claims.

The object of this invention is to provide a new method of printing in which images, pictures, designs or letters are transferred directly from a plate upon which they have been drawn by hand. For the sake of convenience the word design will be used throughout this specification to designate any matter or item capable of being reproduced by the new method which may be used for single color as well as for multicolor 1 reproductions. One particular object of the invention is to provide a printing method whereby multicolor reproductions may be made from a single plate by direct image transfer from such plate. Other particular objects, advantages and 15 uses of the invention will be pointed out as this specification proceeds. Reference is had to the accompanying drawing which illustrates diagrammatically the several steps involved in practicing the invention. In the said drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view of a printing plate which bears a design drawn thereon by hand and which is to be reproduced.

Figs. 2-8 illustrate the progressive stages of the method.

Fig. 9 illustrates diagrammatically an offset printing mechanism for printing by the new method.

The method includes the use of a metal printing plate of a type known in the art as a lithographic plate and which may be purchased in the open market. The plate has a slate gray printing surface on one side upon which drawings may be made the same as upon paper. The plate is flexible and may be attached to the cylinder of a printing press. In fact such plates are now used for printing purposes.

If a design is to be reproduced in one color, the artist draws the entire design upon the plate in the same manner in which he draws a design upon a piece of paper. He may copy the design or he may create the design, which is drawn with a lithographic pencil or crayon, or drawing ink may be used.

The plate with the design is then attached to the printing cylinder of an oifset press. The latter has the usual inking mechanism and alsomeans for wetting the plate with a suitable fluid ing repellent. The ink repelling fluid is passed over the entire plate before the inking roller runs over the plate. The result is that only the design will be inked, the rest of the plate, i. e. the background of the design will not be inked. Consequently, as the press is operated, the design is transferred in the usual manner from the printing cylinder to the offset or blanketcylinder and then to the paper which is to bear the design. The reproduction has now been completed and is the result of a direct transfer of the artists design from the plate to the paper without any photographing, etching or other steps being involved or necessary. The print, because of the absence of such other intermediary steps and because of non-use of a screen or the like, is a true reproduction of the design and of superior artistic quality. In fact the prints look like original drawings. It will also be quite obvious that the process is very economical because only the making of the design and the printing thereof is involved. The print is the result of printing directlyfrom the design.

Figure 1 illustrates the printing plate it upon which the artist or draftsman has drawn a de sign H. The plate ill is attached to the press, treated with the ink repellent, inked and then prints the design I 1 upon the paper or other material desired. The lithographic pencil is a black pencil and is manipulated by the craftsman in the same manner in which a drawing is made upon paper. The design may of course be printed in any one color, this being merely a matter of choice. Figure 9 shows the plate Ill attached to the printing cylinder l2 of an offset press. it is the blanket cylinder, I4 the paper, 15 the roller for applying the ink repellent and Hi the ink roller. The operation is obvious to any person skilled in the art.

When a multicolor reproduction is to be made, the method is as above stated except that the design drawn upon the plate comprises only those parts of the finished design which are to be printed in any one certain color. The use of the invention for multicolor printing will best be understood by referring to Figures 2-9 of the drawing. Let it be supposed that the picture shown inFigure 2 is to be reproduced. The pic- I ture shows a white house with a red roof, a blue which the roof appears simply as a roof drawn in black upon the printing plate. The plate is then attached to the press in Figure 9 and the printing including the use of the ink repellent is done the same as with the plate in Figure l. The

result of the printing operation is a reproduction of the red roof upon the paper 22 or other material and is shown in Figure 4.

Thereafter the design of the roof 2| is washed off, for instance with turpentine, but does not entirely disappear from the plate because the surface of the plate has a very fine grain. A ghost picture of the roof remains on the plate in sufilcient strength to indicate to the artist the place where the roof was drawn. The ghost picture is indicated at 23 in Figure 5.

Thereafter the artist draws upon the same printing plate 20 in Figure 5 the objects which are to be painted in another color. For instance, he draws the green foreground and the tree. He draws these objects with the lithographic pencil and the result is therefore a printing plate 20 which bears a drawing 24 in black as shown in Figure 5 and which also shows very faintly a ghost picture 23 of the previously drawn and printed roof. The plate 28 is again attached to the press, treated with ink repellent and inked. The ink repellent prevents the portions of the plate outside the design 24 from being inked, the ghost picture surface 23 being included in the surface which is responsive to the ink repellent treatment. The paper 22 with the roof picture thereon is put back into the press. The printing is done and the result is now that the paper 22 has printed thereon the red roof and the green foreground and tree.

The plate 20 is now washed the second time and again a ghost picture of the last printed portion remains on the plate. It is indicated by the dotted lines 25 in Figure '7.

Thereafter the artist draws upon the same plate 20 the portions of the picture which are to be printed in blue so that the plate now bears a picture 26 of the blue background, blue shutter and door drawn with the black lithographic pencil as illustrated in Figure '7.

The plate 28 is again attached to the press and the paper 22 is put back. The plate is again treated with ink repellent from the roller l5 and inked by the roller l6 with the result that only the portions of the plate 29 which bear the picture of the background, shutter and door are inked blue. The rest of the plate is not inked.

The result of the entire operation in accordance with the new method herein is a picture 21 in Figure 8 which is a true and complete reproduction of the original picture in Figure 2. The reproduction in Figure 8 is of superior artistic quality due to the fact that every portion of the original picture has been reproduced by direct transfer of the artists drawings from the original design. In other words, the beauty and artistic quality of the reproduction depends upon the artists skill and talent in drawing the picture upon the plate, one or more portions at a time to include all such portions as require inking with a given color.

Figure 2 illustrates a picture which does not require shading or blending of colors. It will be obvious that the artist, when he draws the several color sections, may shade this drawing and run one portion into another portion so as to reproduce faithfully and artistically the original design. The method is therefore not limited to solid color work. It will also be clear that the original picture in Figure 2 may have no physical embodiment at all but the artist may create the picture in making the drawings in Figures 3, 5 and "I. In either case the method involves the forming of the design by drawing upon the plate and then printing directly from the plate upon the paper.

The method presents the possibilities of new uses of multicolor reproductions in various trades, industriesand in business which heretofore have been prevented from using color work due to the expense of making photographic color plates or by using other methods involving more work and expense. The method may be used for poster work in that a print may be made from the plate in Figure 3, a second print made from the plate in Figure 5 and a third print made from the plate in Figure 7, thus producing three prints, each of which bears a portion of the finished picture, the portions being separated by colors. The said three separate color portion prints may be enlarged in the usual manner for making plates to be used in color poster printing.

The method also includes the making of a plurality of plates for printing several prints at one time upon several presses or upon one larger press. For instance, should it be desired to print such a large quantity of prints that one press is not sufficient, the following procedure may be followed.

When the design in Figure 3 has been drawn, attached to the press and been printed upon the offset blanket, the press is stopped, the plate removed and a fresh unused plate attached. The press is then started and now the offset cylinder prints the design back upon a fresh printing plate. The latter is removed and may be treated with a suitable chemical which attacks only the portions which are unprinted. The result is a second plate bearing the design of the first plate and which may be used upon a second press.

The method according to this invention has been commercially practiced successfully. It embodies as its main feature the direct printing of the design to be reproduced upon the paper. No so-called key plates, master designs or the like are used.

In the printing operation, the ink repellent roller passes over the plate first. Then the ink is turned on and then both the repellent roller and the ink roller pass over the plate during the printing. This, however, will be obvious to persons skilled in the art. Of course, there is practically no limit to the number of colors which may be used in the method.

It will further be understood that the invention is susceptible of changes within the principle thereof and the scope of the appended claims.

This application is a continuation in part, of

a previous application filed by us on July 13,

1935, Serial No. 31,226.

We claim:-

1. A method for reproducing multicolor designs including the use of an offset press consisting in drawing with a lithographic pencil upon a printing plate those portions of a design which are to be reproduced in a desired color; placing the plate upon the offset press in printing position; applying an ink repellent to said plate; inking the drawn design upon the plate with such selected color and printing therefrom by contacting the offset cylinder of the press directly with the said inked design upon the plate; removing the plate from the press; washing the plate to remove the said inked design whereby a ghost picture thereof remains upon the plate; drawing upon said plate such other portions of the design which are to be reproduced in another selected color using the said ghost picture for guidance in drawing the portions which are to reproduce the other selected color; again placing said plate upon the press in printing position; again applying an ink repellent to the plate; inking the latter with such other selected color and printing therefrom by again contacting the oflset cylinder of the press directly with the said other inked design upon the plate and thereafter repeating the said operations for each additional color in the design to be reproduced.

2. The method of multicolor printing and reproduction which comprises drawing those portions of a design which are to be reproduced in one color directly upon a lithographic plate with a lithographic pencil where that color is to appear in the print; treating the remainder of the plate with an ink repellent; inking the plate with the desired color; printing from the plate; removing the drawn design from the plate whereby to leave a ghost picture of the first color area upon the plate for guidance in drawing a subsequent color area; drawing such other portions of the design which are to appear in another color directly upon said lithographic plate with a lithographic pencil; again treating the remainder of the plate with an ink repellent; inking the plate with ink of said other color and printing therefrom.

3. The method of multicolor printing and reproduction which comprises drawing upon a lithographic plate with a lithographic pencil such portions of a design which are to appear in a given color in the print; applying an ink repellent to the plate; printing from said plate to reproduce the said one color designs; removing the designs from the plate whereby to leave thereon faint images of the first designs to serve as guides for the subsequent designs; repeating the drawing operation for the next color; applying an ink repellent to the plate; printing from said plate to reproduce the said next color; and repeating the removing, drawing, ink repelling and printing operations for each subsequent other color in the print.

ALBERT CARMAN. JEAN CHARLOT. 

